Zelensky enacts law on plastic bag ban

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted the law to limit the circulation of plastic bags in the country.

The document was signed during the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Ecology" on Monday.

Read alsoAll water resources to be audited in Ukraine – Zelensky"Twenty minutes – this is how long on the average we use such a bag, over 100 years – this is how long it takes for one bag to get decomposed, and it takes [me] several seconds to enact this law, and I'd gladly do this," Zelensky said.

Background

• On June 1, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a draft law in the second reading and as a whole to limit the circulation of plastic bags in the country.
• The document proposes mechanisms to stimulate the development of the production of biodegradable plastic bags, as well as introducing liability for violation of requirements related to the distribution of bags.
• According to an explanatory note to the bill, it provides for a ban on the distribution of plastic bags up to 50 microns thick in retail and public catering facilities from January 1, 2022.
• The distribution of banned plastic bags will be fined from UAH 8,500 (US$311) to UAH 17,000 (US$623), as well as UAH 34,000 (US$1,246) for repeated violation.